


Surprise Valentine

by Knight of Flames (beetroot_of_doubt)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys being oblivious, First Kiss, Gift Giving, M/M, Mutual Pining, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29412732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beetroot_of_doubt/pseuds/Knight%20of%20Flames
Summary: Noctis and Ignis have been giving each other anonymous Valentine's messages and gifts for years, but neither has realised who they came from until now.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 10
Kudos: 68





	Surprise Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't originally intending to write something for Valentine's Day but then this idea came to mind and I simply had to get it down in time. I do hope you enjoy.

Ignis entered Noctis’ apartment as usual following a short rap on the door to alert the Prince to his presence. Pausing to take off his shoes in the entranceway, he put down his briefcase and a bag of shopping before noticing there was another discarded carrier bag in the hallway. Noctis had improved significantly in picking up after himself once he’d left his teenage years behind him, so this was unusual.

“Noct? Are you home?” Ignis called as he shed his footwear and slipped his feet into his own set of comfy slippers rather than the general pairs that Prompto, Gladio and even the King used when visiting Noct’s apartment. Noctis had insisted that since Ignis spent as much time here as he did at home, then he might as well treat the place like it. There was some of his clothing in the “spare” room wardrobe and bottles of his preferred shower gel and shampoo standing alongside the Prince’s in the bathroom for when they worked too late for him to go home to sleep, and, of course, his own pair of slippers that waited for him when he arrived.

Straightening up, Ignis picked up the bags that he had brought along with the discarded one and carried them all into the living room. The briefcase was set down next to the dining table where reams of paperwork and reports were strewn across its surface, whereas the bags were placed onto the countertop in the kitchen, ready for unpacking. 

He couldn’t help but notice the pile of chocolate boxes, a few individual roses and a bunch of flowers beginning to wilt a little while still in their plastic wrapping, alongside the stack of unopened cards which had been plonked on the coffee table. As usual the young, single, attractive Prince had no shortage of gifts left for him on Valentine’s Day, even though he’d never desired them. Noctis and Prompto would usually share the spoils of sweets for the next few days, making sure none went to waste, the cards would be glanced at out of courtesy and then responsibly recycled, and Ignis would be the one placing the flowers into water to revive them for a few days.

There was one gift however, which had been treated differently. A bouquet of red and white roses mingled with white carnations and red alstromeria had already been placed in a vase and strategically positioned to be visible from anywhere in the room. Noctis’ skills in the art of flower arranging left something to be desired, but it always warmed Ignis’ heart to see that the only gift which received such attention from his Prince was the one Ignis had anonymously given him. The blooms signified a combination of passion and purity, devotion and love, specifically selected for the gift, making it noticeably different from the more standard bouquet array which was wilting on the table beside it. He liked to think it was the more bespoke nature as well as knowing Noctis best in the world which had brought his offering such high esteem. 

Beside the vase was a small, open, note card, which he knew from years past that Noctis would keep around for days after the flowers had faded. Ignis didn’t need to read it to refresh his memory of the words it contained.

_ To my shining star, the brightest in the night sky, you make the world a more beautiful place. I hope these flowers can communicate in some small way the strength of my feelings for you. _

It may only be small, but the anonymity of a Valentine’s note was the only way he could so obviously display how much his affection for Noctis had grown over the years, from a dear friend, to a teenage crush, finally culminating in him falling head over heels in love. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make Noctis happy.

Stirring himself from his fond contemplation, he was about to call out again to make sure Noctis knew he had arrived when the bathroom door opened and his Prince strolled out, a towel barely hanging onto his hips, his hair fluffy and sticking out in all directions after being roughly dried. Ignis could not help but stare at the expanse of skin on display, the finely toned muscles under a seductive amount of softness turning him into a living work of art in Ignis’ eyes. And then there was that trail of hair running down from Noct’s belly button under the edge of the only thing protecting his modesty. 

After all these years of patiently waiting, was this a sign of reciprocation of affection? Perhaps his Prince had figured out who had been leaving his favourite Valentine’s messages and had finally decided to do something about it before Ignis had worked up the courage to broach the subject himself.

Ignis tore his eyes away just as Noctis noticed that he wasn’t alone and tried to freeze mid-step, stumbling slightly. His expression was one of panic and his cheeks coloured pink, one hand reaching down to secure the towel in place and prevent any embarrassing slippages.

“Specs! You...I didn’t hear you come in. I, erm, lemme get dressed.” Noctis squeaked, fleeing for his room. As the Prince disappeared out of sight, Ignis fixed his gaze up at the ceiling, his heart racing in his chest, and let out the breath he’d not realised he’d been holding. 

Noctis had looked so genuinely shocked by his presence, and anyone would blush at someone finding them in such an unclothed state. The fact that it was Valentine’s Day had absolutely nothing to do with what he had just witnessed, he was simply projecting what he wished to see onto the situation, nothing more. 

Thoroughly ashamed of his reaction, Ignis internally scolded himself. He hadn’t thought the sadness of not receiving a Valentine this year would lead him to do something so foolish as to grasp for any possible sign of affection from the man he was in love with. The single admirer who had been sending him anonymous heartfelt messages for the last several years had chosen not to renew their advances, and although it was disappointing, there was nothing he could do about it.

Shaking his head to snap himself out of this melancholy, Ignis succumbed to curiosity and emptied the contents of the mystery bag first, his eyes widening when he recognised the small box of chocolates as being from the specialist chocolatier he loved, and the handmade card. The decoration of the card had a unique kind of style which he could have sworn was identical to the cards he himself had received on the 14th of February in previous years. Ignis’ heart sank. It seemed that his previous admirer had not just decided to abandon Ignis this year, but had actually transferred their affections to his Prince.

The opening of Noctis’ bedroom door made Ignis jump and he hastily pushed the gift to one side, busying himself with unpacking the food for this evening’s meal. He purposely tried not to give the Prince more than a couple of glances to see that he had thrown on an old, fading t-shirt and some comfortable sweatpants, his feet remaining bare, his hair wrangled into the kind of messy styling that he was fond of.

“Everything ok? I’m sorry you had to see that. Didn’t know you were here.” Noctis voice became gradually quieter as he spoke until he finished on an almost inaudible mumble. 

“Hmm? It is quite alright. I was thinking of cooking lasagna this evening, how does that sound?” It was hard to keep the bitter note of disappointment about the gift from his voice and couldn’t help but detect the slight wince in the hunch of Noctis’ shoulders.

“Yeah, great.” Noctis mumbled, slumping into one of the dining chairs, a blush prominent on his pale cheeks as he stared intently at the sheets of paper laid out before him, intentionally avoiding Ignis’ attempts at eye contact.

_ A residue from the heat of the shower, nothing more. _ Ignis told himself as he began pulling out pans and utensils from various cupboards and drawers and beginning his preparations. Both of them worked away in silence until the lasagna went into the oven. Ignis set a timer, then moved over to pull out a chair beside his Prince.

“Is there any way I can assist you?” Ignis asked, his eyes flicking over the report headers. There was one about the green spaces scheme Noctis had been championing, along with a few sets of meeting minutes and a couple of thick reports that appeared to be regarding the equal opportunities act for those of less privileged backgrounds, the minutiae of which was currently being debated in the council meetings.

“Nah, it’s ok. I should stop, everything’s becoming a blur.” Noctis yawned, stretching his arms above his head and revealing a hint of skin as his t-shirt rode up, not that Ignis would permit himself to notice such things. “How long til dinner?”

“About 20 minutes.” 

Noctis only nodded in response and they lapsed into silence again. 

“I could not help but notice that you’ve acquired a new admirer this year. I nearly tripped over their gift when I came in.” Ignis broke the silence, nodding towards the now empty bag on the countertop, and he could have sworn he saw the blood draining from Noctis’ face. 

“You weren’t supposed to see that!” The Prince jumped to his feet, scurrying over to the bag to confirm whether it had been opened, only to stare in horror at the items that had been partially hidden on the counter.

“Even if you do not care for such things, it really is very rude to leave it on the floor in the hallway, especially after the individual went to the trouble of hand making the card. I only mention it because I used to receive a Valentine very similar to that one, though it appears this year the gifter has chosen to change the subject of their affection.” Ignis continued, experiencing a flash of jealousy that another person skilled in the art of Valentine’s was trying to attract the attention of his Prince. He had found the thoughtfulness very attractive, but what if Noctis began to prefer their gifts over the ones Ignis selected for him?

Noctis spun around, staring at him, still more than a little pale. “Wait! You never knew who sent them to you? Why wouldn’t you look into it?”

“Of course not. I assumed that it was someone in the Citadel, but if they were too shy to sign their name or confront me about it, then I did not think they would take kindly to being sought out. Valentine’s are anonymous for a reason.” Ignis snapped before he could rein in his emotions. This lack of control was very unlike him, his tetchiness only tending to make itself known when he was jealous over Noctis’ affection. He took a slow breath to centre himself before speaking again. “I was only glad to have such a thoughtful, constant admirer, whomever they were.” 

“You never knew…” Noctis muttered to himself, no longer looking at Ignis and staring off out of the window, seeming to have barely heard a word of what Ignis had just said.

“I had hoped they might reveal themselves one day, but alas I doubt that will ever be the case now.” Ignis pushed his glasses up onto his forehead to pinch the bridge of his nose. He could feel a tension headache coming on, time to change the topic to something else. “Anyway, I see you received flowers again this year?” 

“Yeah, still from the same person who calls me their star.” Noctis said carelessly, not really focusing on the conversation, but a soft smile still formed on his lips and colour began to return to his cheeks.

“What do you think of them? I’m glad you put them in water. I can arrange them properly for you if you would like since you do appear to appreciate them more than the others.” Ignis was perhaps pressing a little harder than he ordinarily would, but he wanted some positive reinforcement from his Prince to help his chest swell with pride and smother the undignified feelings of jealousy.

When Noctis didn’t respond, he began to worry. Had he been too sharp with his earlier responses?

“Noct? Are you alright?”

“Why do you always come over and cook for me on Valentine’s evening? Don’t you want to go out on a date with someone?” The question took Ignis by surprise, as did the open and earnest expression on Noctis’ face.

“I...Well, you have never seemed interested in spending it with anyone else. I thought it would be nice for the both of us to have company.” That was the answer he gave, but his thoughts betrayed him as a liar. By spending Valentine’s evening together, Ignis could pretend for a moment that they were having a date.

“You seemed disappointed to not get a gift yourself this year? Actually, you sounded pretty jealous about it.” Now there was a hint of suspicion in Noctis’ voice. Damn and blast it, his Prince had become all too good at reading his emotions. 

“Did I?” Ignis feigned ignorance, straightening his glasses before neatly folding his hands in his lap, resisting the urge to fidget nervously as Noctis took a couple of tentative steps towards him.

“Yeah, and you’re always real interested about what I think of the special flowers…” Ignis remained silent, his hands bunching into anxious fists under the table as he watched Noctis’ thoughtful expression. He could almost hear the cogs turning, when suddenly Noctis burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching his sides as his eyes began to water with the strain.

Ignis frowned, it seemed he wasn’t the only one displaying unusual behaviour today. Noctis was not the kind of person prone to sudden and unexplained outbursts of mirth. He stood, quickly moving over to support his Prince with gentle hands and guide him into a seat, rubbing his back soothingly until he began to calm down.

“You’re the one who’s been sending me those flowers, aren’t you Specs? I’m your star, aren’t I?” Noctis asked quietly, sitting up enough to look up at Ignis through his fringe of midnight hair. Ignis stiffened in shock, his green eyes widening behind his spectacles as he quickly withdrew his hands back to the safe distance of what was proper.

“I...I don’t know what you mean. I couldn’t possibly…” He sputtered, completely flustered and trying to deny that Nocits had somehow worked out the truth, but the heated blush that was spreading across his cheeks easily gave away his lie.

“I was going to give up on giving you Valentine’s. I thought you must have known and you just didn’t like me back, and all the time…” Noctis began to laugh again, not on the verge of hysterics this time. It was a warm sound, and his eyes were now shining with hope. 

Ignis’ mouth fell open. “Noct, you cannot mean...those handmade cards, my favourite chocolates, were from you all along?”

“Yeah…” The laughter finally died away and Noctis took a moment to breathe, his chest heaving but a soft smile still decorated his face. “Yeah, they were always from me, but today I...I chickened out.” Ignis was stunned, staring at his Prince as if he was truly seeing him for the first time.

He’d thought that he was content to wait through another year without reciprocation but it seemed that it had been there all along, he’d just been too blind to see it. They had both been giving and receiving those Valentines since the year the Prince had turned sixteen, both pining from afar, hoping to be noticed but never having the courage to come forward and say anything.

“This is such a surprise, I am not sure what to say.” He said quietly, leaning heavily on the table to alleviate the suddenly wobbliness in his knees.

“Err, well, I hope it’s not too late, but, would you be my Valentine?” Noctis asked shyly, biting his lower lip nervously as a blush spread across his cheeks, sending Ignis’ heart aflutter. It was when Noctis tentatively placed one hand over his and squeezed softly that he thought it might beat right out of his chest.

“If you would also consent to be mine.” Ignis managed to get the words out through his tongue-tied state, his expression softening in a way to display all the love he felt for his Prince.

A stupid grin broke out across Noctis’ face and he nodded enthusiastically, surging up from his seat to give Ignis his very first kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3
> 
> Twitter: [@flames_knight](https://twitter.com/flames_knight)


End file.
